26.02.

2018 April | 2009 | Ithihas

Ithihas
Kaleidoscope of Indian civilization

In this blog you will find

Monthly Archives: April 2009
Writeups on Indian historical
themes and Biographies of
rulers and statesmen.
HISTORY OF FREEDOM MOVEMENT- 2
April 7, 2009 – 10:36 am
Blogroll
The Swadeshi Movement: The partition of Bengal in 1905 had far reaching
facetsofindianhistory repercussion and accelerated the pace of freedom movement in India. The event
Sanatana Parishad led to the launch of swadeshi movement and boycott of British goods. It also
Thinkerspad resulted in the split of the Indian National Congress into two factions, the
moderates and the extremists and gave birth to revolutionaries clubs and Muslim
League. The Partition of Bengal: The province of Bengal consisted of Bengal
Archives proper, Bihar and Orissa, with a population of 78 million people. In East Bengal,
February 2018
Muslims were in a majority while Hindus predominated in West Bengal as well as
in Bihar and Orissa. Way back in 1896, William Ward, an official had prepared a
January 2018
scheme of partition of Bengal for administrative convenience. But due to financial
October 2017
constraints it was abandoned. The scheme attracted the attention of Viceroy
August 2017 Curzon and he decided to implement it. In February 1904, Curzon toured East
June 2017 Bengal and roped in Nawab Salimullah Khan of Dacca by promising him a loan at
May 2017 nominal interest and the latter succeeded in assembling a huge gathering of
March 2017 Muslims to cheer the Viceroy’s plan for a Muslim province. But the Bengali
October 2016 intelligentsia and the Indian nationalists opposed the partition on the ground that it
June 2016
undermined the traditions, history and language of the Bengalis and divide them on
the basis of religion. Curzon had admitted during his tour of East Bengal that one
January 2016
object of the partition proposal was to create a Mohammedan province where
November 2015
Islam could be predominate.
August 2015
June 2015 The Boycott movement: The new province of East Bengal was inaugurated on
February 2015 16th October 1905. The leaders of the anti-partition movement made a public
January 2015 declaration that the day of inauguration would be observed as a day of national
September 2014
mourning. A detailed programme was drawn up for the day. Food would not be
cooked, except for the sick and invalid; business would be suspended and people
June 2014
would walk barefoot and bathe in the Ganga in the morning to purify themselves.
May 2014
To symbolise the unity among the Bengalis, the programme of tying a red band
April 2014 round the wrists of the people was undertaken. Streets was echoed with the cry
March 2014 ‘Vande Mataram’ and a national fund for carrying on the agitation was started and
December 2013 in a few hours Rs 10,000 was collected through subscriptions. Earlier in a public
November 2013 meeting held at Ripon College in Calcutta under the leadership of S.N.Banerjee on
October 2013 17th July 1905, a resolution asking the people to boycott all British goods till
September 2013
partition was undone had been passed. On the occasion of a religious festival in
August 1905, about 50,000 people took a vow before goddess Kali not to buy
August 2013
foreign articles and not to employ foreigners for jobs for which suitable Indians are
May 2013
available. The boycott movement was not a new thing. Way back in 1849, Gopal
April 2013 Rao Deshmukh, better known as ‘Lokahitawadi’ of Bombay urged the use of
February 2013 indigenous goods. In 1873, Bholanath Chandra preached the establishment of
January 2013 indigenous Banks, Companies, Corporations, Mills and Factories and denounced
July 2012 the practice of preferring foreign goods to home made manufacturers. Swami
January 2010 Dayananda Saraswathi also emphasized on swadeshi. Similarly the Tagore family
July 2009
also lent their full support to the use of swadeshi goods. Rabindranath Tagore
started the ‘Swadeshi Bhandar’ in 1897 and ‘Sarala Devi Lakshmi Bhandar’ in
June 2009
1903. During the anti-partition agitation, Swadeshi stores sold homemade goods in
May 2009
retail and student volunteers peddled them. In consonance with the boycott call,
April 2009 contents of the ships arriving with foreign goods were dumped; bags of Liverpool
March 2009 salt were pulled out of boats and thrown into the river. The priests refused to
February 2009 perform religious ceremonies with foreign articles. Those found wearing foreign
October 2008 clothes including Europeans were jeered at. So vehement was the public opinion
September 2008 that nobody would think of buying foreign clothes and those who went in for its
cheapness would buy only at night. At an examination hall in Rippon College,
https://ithihas.wordpress.com/2009/04/ 1/4
26.02.2018 April | 2009 | Ithihas

August 2008 students refused to touch answer papers of foreign make and country made sheets
July 2008 had to be substituted. A five-year old granddaughter of S.N.Banerjee returned a
June 2008 pair of shoes sent to her by a relative because they were made abroad. Similarly
May 2008
another girl aged six though suffering from fever refused to take any foreign
medicine. If any foreign-made presents were given during marriages they were
April 2008
returned. Guests would refuse to participate in festivities in which foreign salt or
March 2008
sugar was used.
February 2008
Karnataka and Swadeshi movement: Karnataka enthusiastically responded to
the call of swadeshi. On 5th May 1905 a public meeting presided by Gurunatha
Rao Patak was held in the Victoria Theatre at Dharwad to protest against the
partition of Bengal and to encourage swadeshi industries. The meeting resolved
that everyone should vow not to use foreign cloth, except in unavoidable
circumstances in order to encourage Indian artisans and trade in Indian goods. To
spread the message of swadeshi and boycott, Tilak toured North Karnataka in
1905-06. Alur Venkata Rao, Sakkari Balachar, Krishna Rao Mudvedkar, Anantha
Rao Dabade and others undertook extensive tours and delivered speeches on
Swarajya, Swadeshi, Boycott and National Education. Swadeshi industries arose in
many places. Vittal Rao Deshpande of Hebbal started a weaving factory at Kittur.
Another factory was built in Badami. Cloths made here were sent even to Bengal.
Rama Rao Alagvadi opened a Match factory at Dharwad, while in Laxmeswar a
Porcelain factory was established. Factories for manufacturing bangles, pencils
and many other articles of common use arose in many places. A Karnataka
Industrial Conference met at Dharwad in 1907 to chalk out plans to develop
Swadeshi industries in Karnataka. New Banks were established to help these
industries. Boycott of British goods: Apart from wide support to swadeshi
movement, people of Karnataka wholeheartedly participated in the boycott of
British goods. Ranibennur witnessed one of the biggest bonfires of foreign cloth.
Textile dealers in Belgaum decided not to import foreign cloth and in Dharwad,
grocers decided not to purchase Daboti and Johnson sugar. In Alnavar it was
decided to smoke batti’s instead of bidis and anyone found breaking the rule was
fined. Hoteliers stopped the sale of tea and people poured kerosene into gutters
and instead began to use indigenous oil for lighting. In one instance after it was
noticed that a bangle seller had sold foreign bangles saying that it was Indian, the
bangle seller was not only abused but also had to forego money. In Belgaum,
along with swadeshi movement, prohibition was also advocated and toddy
contractors had to incur heavy loss. For picketing liquor shops in Belgaum nine
persons were awarded one- week imprisonment and fined Rs 680 in June 1908.
Though a prominent person of Belgaum offered to pay the fine, the youths refused
his help and preferred imprisonment. On 8th August 1908 a public meeting was
held in Bagalkot, which was addressed by Jayarao Nargund, Jainapur,
Yalagurdrao, Dharwadkar and others. It was proposed to establish a Swadeshi
Vyaparottejak Samshtha in Bagalkot. The movement also saw the establishment of
National Schools in various parts of Karnataka. Alur Venkata Rao started the
Nutana Vidyalaya at Dharwad with arts and crafts also as subjects in the
curriculum. Another national school arose at Navalgund by the efforts of
Dundopanth Sahasrabuddhe. In Belgaum Kaka Kalelkar established the Ganesh
Vidyalaya, while Jaya Rao Nargund started another at Bagalkot. Similar schools
were established at Hanagal, Agadi and other places. The government however
saw that these schools close down one by one. In South Kanara district,
Ammembala Srinivasa Pai was the moving spirit in the boycott of foreign goods
and the spread of swadeshi. Men like K.P.Rao and Panje Mangesha Rao assisted
him, while Kolachalam Venkata Rao and Sabhapathi Mudaliar were the leaders of
the freedom movement in Bellary.

The Revolutionary Activities: The youth of Bengal had greatly contributed to the
success of the anti-partition movement. They organized meetings, arranged
demonstrations, roused enthusiasm, and provided volunteers for Swadeshi-Boycott
propaganda and for picketing. Many were fined, expelled, beaten and flogged. But
the harsher their treatment the more rebellious became their mood. The restriction
on their public activities compelled them to form secret societies to achieve their
aims. Moreover the Englishmen in the past had taunted the Bengalis that they
were a race of weaklings, cowardly and lacking in manly virtues. By forming
revolutionary clubs called ‘Samitis’, the Bengali youth proved that they did not lack
courage. Newspapers like ‘Jugnatara’, ‘Bhawani Mandir’, ‘Bande Mataram’ and
‘Sandhya’ were launched to preach the cult of revolutionary violence. Some youths
of Karnataka like Dr.Handoor, Baburao Gani and Bheema Rao Bevoor kept up a
close correspondence with the revolutionaries of Bengal.
https://ithihas.wordpress.com/2009/04/ 2/4
26.02.2018 April | 2009 | Ithihas

Seeds of Separatism sown: Inspired by Muslim revolutionary activities in Egypt,

Iran and Turkey, Abul Kalam Azad came into contact with Shyamsunder
Chakravarthi of the Bande Mataram, met Aurobindo and joined one of the
revolutionary bodies. He not only dissipated the anti-Muslim suspicious of the
revolutionaries but helped in extending their activities outside Bengal and Bihar.
The above development made Lawrence, the private secretary to Curzon and
journalist like Valentine Chirol and Sidney Low to warn the then Viceroy Minto of
the danger of the Hindu-Muslim accord. Theodore Morrison, the former principal of
the Aligarh College warned the government against the possibility of Muslim
sympathies going over to the Congress party. Colonel Dunlop Smith, the Private
Secretary to Viceroy Minto wrote to William Archbold the then principal of Aligarh
College that the Viceroy would be happy to receive a Muslim deputation. The
principal asked Nawab Mohsinul Mulk, the secretary of the college to act quickly
and to press for introducing the system of nomination or granting representation on
religious lines. On 1st October 1906 a deputation led by Aga Khan met Viceroy
Minto at Shimla and demanded that seats in the Central Legislative Assembly be
reserved for the Muslim community not only on the basis of their population but on
the basis of their political importance and their services in the defence of the
Empire. Minto readily accepted the demand for according them separate
electorates. After their successful deputation, the Muslim leaders mooted the idea
of forming an association to look exclusively after the interests of the Muslim
community. On 30th December 1906 the All India Muslim League was formed to
promote the political and other rights of Indian Muslims and to promote among
Indian Muslims the feeling of loyalty towards the British government. The true
political ideas of the Muslim League became apparent from Nawab Waqar-ul-
Mulk’s speech delivered at Aligarh. He said “God forbid, if the British rule
disappears from India, Hindus will lord over it and there will be constant danger to
our life, property and honour. The only way for the Muslims to escape this danger
is to help in the continuance of the British rule. If the Muslims are heartily with the
British, then that rule is bound to endure. Let the Muslims consider themselves as
a British army ready to shed blood and sacrifice their lives for the British Crown”.
The League achieved its first success when the British government introduced
separate electorates for Muslims in the 1909 Act.

https://ithihas.wordpress.com/2009/04/ 3/4
26.02.2018 April | 2009 | Ithihas

Advertisements

Report this ad

Report this ad

By S.Srinivas | Posted in essays | Comments (1)

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. | .

https://ithihas.wordpress.com/2009/04/ 4/4